PERSEVERANCE AND PERFECTION

Perseverance not Perfection in 2013 

God doesn't expect us to be perfect but He does expect us to persevere. 

As we come to the end of 2012, I want to encourage you to live a life of faithfulness. Faithfulness is seen in our perseverance; how we live each day; in what we are committed to. Faithfulness is seen when we take the road less traveled; when we make the decision to be faithful to God rather than to the world. Faithful believers are often criticized for their faith positions: the Bible is the word of God; Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world; Jesus is God who became flesh; He died and was resurrected and He ascended into heaven; He will one day come again to rule and reign over the new heavens and the new earth and only those who have acknowledged Christ as Savior and Lord will be inhabitants of his kingdom. These are only a few of the faith positions of a true believer that are constantly being attacked. We sometimes misunderstand how God would like for us to relate to Him and because of that misunderstanding we often attempt to be perfect. Human perfection is an impossibility. What God really wants of us is perseverance. He knows that we are not perfect; perfection is found in Christ alone.  Because Jesus Christ was perfect those who are in Him are perfect. 

I have listed two verses of Scripture I hope you will spend some time reading and praying about. Both relate to perseverance and both are very important to the witness and testimony of a follower of Jesus Christ.  

The first one is recorded in 1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV) “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 

We are to watch our life and doctrine closely to make sure it agrees with God’s Word and that takes perseverance. We are to faithfully follow, model, teach, preach, and live out our faith. If we do we continue to work out our salvation which came through our belief in Jesus Christ and we also witness to others about His saving power through example. God wants to use the followers of Jesus Christ as instruments to lead others into a personal relationship with Him. 

The second text is recorded in Hebrews 10:36 (NIV) “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” 

Once again perseverance plays a very important part in our salvation relationship with Jesus Christ. To persevere in doing the will of God is not always easy yet it is necessary if we expect to receive what God has promised to us. 

Jesus revealed to his followers in Matthew 10:22 that we would be hated by mankind because of our relationship with Him. This hatred and persecution will become more severe as we approach the end of time. Jesus revealed this to His followers because He wanted them to understand what was to be required of them. The world will apply tremendous pressure in an attempt to get believers to renounce their faith and to turn their backs on Christ. Perseverance, or patient endurance, is not a way to be saved but the evidence that you are saved and committed to Jesus Christ. 

To persevere is not easy but thank God we do not have to do it on our own. Jesus has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and His Holy Spirit is always available to empower us and lead us to victory.  Hallelujah what a Savior. May God richly bless you with His power and presence in 2013. david